1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to power distribution delivered to high performance circuits, and in particular to a system and method for distributing power to one or more circuit boards while providing for improved packaging.
2. Description of the Related Art
As electronic circuits become more complex, packaging of the circuitry has become more difficult. The common method for packaging integrated circuits (ICs) and other electronic components is to mount them on printed circuit boards (PCBs) or other substrates such as ceramic or organic consisting of alternating conductive and non-conductive layers or planes sandwiched or bonded together to form a dense X-Y signal interconnect. For a number of years, the operating voltage of ICs was approximately 5 volts and the power consumption was generally less than 1 watt. This relatively high supply voltage and low power level allowed the packaging of a large number of ICs on a single PCB with power distribution incorporated into one or more of the PCB planes.
More recently, advances in silicon fabrication techniques have permitted the manufacture of high performance IC packages with operating voltages at or below 1 volt and power levels in excess of 100 watts. As described in co-pending and commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/785,892, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING POWER TO A MICROPROCESSOR WITH INTEGRATED THERMAL AND EMI MANAGEMENT, by Joseph T. DiBene II et. al, filed Feb. 16, 2001, which application is hereby incorporated by reference, the transient current to some of these packages can approach hundreds of amps per microsecond. To assure optimum performance under these conditions, what is needed is a design which provides an electrical path from the power supply or voltage regulation module (VRM) to the IC that accommodates both high current flow and low series inductance, two goals are difficult to achieve at the same time.
The present invention achieves both of these goals, while also allowing for a compact, integrated stack-up system design that permits thermal dissipation and control of electromagnetic interference (EMI).
To address the requirements described above; the present invention discloses a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture, for providing power from a first circuit board to a second circuit board. The apparatus comprises a first conductive member, including a first conductive member first end and a first conductive member second end distal from the first end; a second conductive member disposed within the first conductive member, the second conductive member including a second conductor member first end and a second conductor member second end distal from the second conductor member first end; and one or more first circuit board permanent attachment features for electrical coupling with the first circuit board and second circuit board, and one or more disconnectable conduction features for electrically coupling the connector with the second circuit board. One of the advantages of the present invention is the integration of function in which the apparatus operates both as a rigid standoff to separate the first circuit board from the second circuit board, and a conduit for delivering power and a ground return between the circuit boards as well. While the apparatus will be discussed in terms of providing a power signal from a first circuit board to a second circuit board, it can also be used to provide power to a plurality of circuit boards in a stacked configuration, all with minimal interconnect impedance.